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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 13, 2022: Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg game between Liverpool FC and SL Benfica at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal: Player Ratings – What the media and statistics say

Thiago was again mesmerising in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Villarreal, as they edged a step closer to reaching the Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp‘s men faced the stubborn La Liga outfit on Wednesday evening, dictating matters from the first minute until the last.

Pervis Estupinan’s own goal on Jordan Henderson‘s deflected cross gave Liverpool the lead early in the second half and Sadio Mane added a second within two minutes to turn the tide.

Here we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Independent, WhoScored, FotMob and the TIA readers.

Thiago (8.6) was a joy to watch and deservedly received the highest average rating at Anfield.

It was another dominant all-around midfield performance, with his passing range outrageous and his off-the-ball work superb, too.

TIA’s Mark Delgado handed Thiago his Man of the Match award, hailing his “switches, his ability to shift opponents out of the way and his constant capacity to dictate play.”

Ian Doyle of the Echo felt the Spaniard’s “passing sublime as ever”, adding that he “kept Liverpool ticking over.”

In second place was Luis Diaz (8.0), as he produced another sparkling display, testing the goalkeeper twice in the first half.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 13, 2022: Liverpool's Luis Díaz during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg game between Liverpool FC and SL Benfica at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Delgado said the Colombian was “so good in one-on-ones”, as he constantly looked like wreaking havoc in his left-sided role.

Completing the top-three was (7.9), who arguably deserved to be second only behind Thiago, such was his dominance.

FotMob noted that the 28-year-old made seven recoveries and four interceptions on the night, proving to be a colossus in the middle of the park.

It wasn’t an evening that saw anyone struggle for the Reds, with Alisson (6.6) getting the lowest rating, summing up the hosts dominance.

Next up for Liverpool is Saturday’s trip to Newcastle in the Premier League (12.30pm BST), which could be a tricky assignment.